


The Day Before The Morning Of

by Torra



Category: Tin Man (2007)
Genre: First Time, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-11-29
Updated: 2009-11-29
Packaged: 2017-10-03 23:16:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Torra/pseuds/Torra
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The day before the morning of the re-braining.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Day Before The Morning Of

"Ambrose?" DG threw the door of the Sun Seeder lab open before her, letting it slam into the wall behind. "_Glitch_!"

Cain caught the door before it's rebound could hit her, gentling it. "It's no use, DG, he's not in here."

DG shook her head, "He _has_ to be, this is where he's been spending all his time since the doctors figured it out." She began crawling around on the floor, trying to see beneath the massive machines which stood as dark reminders of the past.

"DG, it's a small room, there's only one table, and that equipment you're trying to peer behind reaches floor to ceiling as a single unit. If you can't see him, he's not in here."

She slapped her hands down hard on the floor, "But where else could he _be_? He's not in his rooms, not in his labs, not in the gardens..."

Cain walked over and gave the princess a hand up off the floor, reaching down to brush the dirt off her knees, "The gardens are huge, and Glitch rarely stays in once place long when he's out there. If he's wondering around, he could easily be in the exact same spot thirty seconds after you and still have no clue you were ever looking for him." He sighed and shook his head. "Come on, we can set up the guards to comb the whole palace grounds back and forth. Someone is bound to run across him on one of the passes."

She nodded, running her hands though her hair, "You're right. I know you're right, it's just..." She trailed off, blowing out a deep breath.

"Yeah, I know, we're all worried about him. But this is a big surgery tomorrow, and you know how he gets spacey when he gets worried. Starts glitching and forgetting what he was worried about, and just goes wondering off again."

She nodded, "Yeah, I know." She shook her head. "I can't imagine him _not_ doing that, honestly." She shrugged, "But after tomorrow, I don't suppose this'll be necessary anymore."

Cain offered her a sardonic smile, "I think for that reason alone, you'd best instruct the guards that you want him back unharmed. Otherwise you're likely to get a few dozen in a scuffle trying to hog-tie the man and drag him in bodily."

She groans, "Oh Lord, you're right."

He laughed, "Go on, you get it started. I'm gonna go though his rooms again, make sure he hasn't gone back there and fallen asleep in his closet or on top of his bed's canopy or something."

She nodded. "All we need is for him to get a concussion from falling out of that thing again the night before his big surgery," she sighed at the memory, "Okay, okay, I'll get the guards set up and head up the West flank."

"I'll meet up with the East when I'm done. Good luck, Princess."

She smiled over her shoulder at him as she reached the door again. "You too, Officer Cain."

Cain shook his head and walked slowly to the door, resting his shoulder against it with a sigh. After a few minutes of quiet, he broke the stillness with, "She's gone. Do you think you can make it down on your own, or do I have to try to climb up there and get you?"

The room remained quiet for a moment longer before, "I don't think this light fixture will hold the both of us." And a soft thud sounded throughout the room as two feet landed on the stone floor.

"Good, because I really didn't think that curtain rod there would hold me climbing up it, either." Cain shut the door as he turned around and smiled at his friend. "How was the view from up there?"

"Dusty." Glitch told him, brushing off his backside before turning his back to the wall and sliding bonelessly down it.

Cain snorted, "That's what you get for climbing walls and playing hide and seek from an entire castle, I suppose."

"How did you know I was up there, anyhow?"

Cain shrugged and took the section of floor to the left of his friend for his own. "I don't think anyone else here really believes you can do what I know you can. I've seen you fight, there's only a handful of people in this castle who've even seen you practice since the takeover." The two sat, Cain with his wrists on his knees, Glitch with his legs spread before him, and staring at the dimly glowing brain in the jar before them. "Honestly, I don't think there's anyone around with any clue of how agile you truly are."

"You, my tin-starred friend, have no _clue_ how agile I truly am."

Cain snorted out a quiet laugh. "Maybe not, but at least I've seen you fight."

"I'm limber, too, you know." He told himself, blinking at the bubbling jar.

"I'm sure you are."

"And lithe."

"I have no--"

"And lithe."

Cain bumped their shoulders together gently, and Glitch blinked, "And nimble."

Cain smiled and nodded, "I was never in doubt, Zipper Head."

The two fell into an easy silence, just watching the bubbles in the jar lazily drift up, pushing the brain floating within back and forth before they reached the surface. Glitch sighed, "I don't want to do this, Cain."

Cain nodded softly, never taking his eyes away from the table in front of them. "I know."

Silence again.

"It should be my choice."

"It should."

"I mean it's my brain, isn't it?"

Cain gave that a moment's thought before asking, "Do you really want to put that argument to the queen?"

Glitch sighed, "Not really, she'll probably declare it property of the crown as long as it's outside my head and contained inside crown owned equipment."

Cain sighed softly, "She does mean well, though. She honestly believes that this is what's best for you."

"She wants _him_ back."

"She wants _you_ back."

"She really, really doesn't." Glitch snorted. "_I_ am right here. _He_," he pointed an accusing finger at the brain, "Is in there. She wants _him_ back inside _me_," he pointed the finger back at himself, "and she doesn't much care what it does to the _me_ still inside _me_."

"But she thinks that you'll be happier as him then you are currently as you."

"Because she doesn't think _I_ am _real_." Glitch moved his right foot far enough to kick at an invisible rock.

Cain didn't have an argument for that. Glitch was right, the Queen had never even given the idea of not re-attaching the brain much consideration. She believed her friend would not be whole again until he was Ambrose, and she did not believe that half a brain was enough to make a whole person.

"She wants what's best for you." Cain finally said again, but there was no passion in it.

"Maybe if she just had more time to get to _know_ me. _As_ me, I mean, not as _that_." The pointing finger again.

"Which is exactly why you can't be caught in here."

Glitch frowned to himself for a moment before turning to look at his friend and asking, "Did I miss a line again? You know I tend to do that when I'm stressed."

Cain sighed and dropped his chin down to his chest, "No. But it's true. You can't get caught in here. Not tonight."

"Why not?"

"You know why not, Glitch."

Glitch frowned again. "Did I miss a line, again? You know I tend to do that when--"

"Glitch!"

He jumped, "I'm sorry. I just don't--"

"Yes, Glitch, you do." Cain finally looked up at him again. "You know exactly why you can't get caught in here tonight, of all nights. Your surgery is set for first thing in the morning, and if anything happens to _that_ tonight," Cain pointed the finger this time, "then you are the very first person they're gonna accuse. The state the queen will be in, she just might go for a murder charge until she calms down enough to see reason."

Glitch groaned, banging his head softly against the wall, "But it's supposed to be _my choice_! It's my brain, dammit! I should be the one who decides if it goes back in my head or not."

"I know."

Glitch's head dropped, his shoulders slumped. "I don't want it." He finally whispered.

Cain sighed and pulled his arm up to drape it across his friend's shoulders, pulling him in to lean against his side. "I know."

The pair sat together for a few more minutes as Glitch let his head drop to rest against Cain's neck, pulling his knees up to press against his friends thighs. He wanted to cry.

"You're the only one who calls me Glitch, anymore." His voice was barely above a rasp.

Cain had to clear his throat before he could manage, "I know." He turned his head to press a kiss into the mop of dark curls, pressing it into the thin, soft band of skin next to the zipper. "I always will, too."

Glitch nodded sadly.

"Which is exactly why you have to be caught by DG out in the gardens and not by me. You need to buy me time to get into position out in the West end before she sends someone to tell me they've finally found you."

Glitch pulled away suddenly, rolling gracefully onto his knees, Cain's arm falling to his side, "_What?_"

Cain dropped his head again, "The queen knows I think this decision should be yours, Glitch. You have to get caught by DG before that thing dies, or she'll know it was you, and I have to be in place in the gardens before her messengers reach me or I'll be her second guess." He dropped his hand back onto the back of Glitch's neck and gave it a gentle squeeze and shake, "I need you to buy me enough time to get it done, and then to get into place. She has some alarms set on it, but Azkadellia thinks she's figured out away to buy me a few minutes grace. It won't be much, but it should be enough to get me out of the area before they go off. Raw is down the hall making sure no one wanders past to see my escape, meanwhile."

Glitch scrambled to his feet, his eyes wide, "_What_?"

Cain shook his head and slowly pushed himself up to his feet as well, grunting softly as his knees popped. "You're not the only one who thinks this should be your choice, Glitch. Just because she was your friend and wears a crown, doesn't mean she knows what's right for you."

Glitch blinked. "She doesn't actually wear a crown--"

"She's _not_ right about this, Glitch."

Glitch opened his mouth, but for once, nothing came out.

Cain nodded, "It's the right thing to do. We all know the risks. DG can't know, because she'd never be able to lie to her mother, but Raw and Azkadellia and I all know what it's like to be a prisoner. What it feels like to be trapped within your own body, completely unable to say what happens to it." He shook his head and looked back to the brain, "The queen's a good woman, but she has absolutely no idea what that's like."

"I..._thank you_, Cain."

Cain gave him a smile, "You'd better get into place. Get yourself pretty deep and walk _towards_ the palace, let them run into you as if you were walking _back_ here, not away. I'll give this a good 200 count after you leave before I--"

The kiss interrupted him, trailing his final words into Glitch's lips. They both groaned, and Glitch wrapped his hands more tightly around Cain's broad shoulders, pulling their bodies in close, pulling Cain's breath inside of him.

They both gasped as they pulled away, having to come back together again a few times before they could part fully.

"_Thank you_. I..." Glitch trailed off for a moment, staring at his friend's damp lips. He suddenly frowned, "I never asked you what name _you_ prefer." He looked up, "Do you like Cain? Or Wyatt? I mean, you call me Glitch, mostly, which, thank you, but you call me Zipper Head, too, and--"

"Sweetheart."

Glitch's smile was blinding, "That too."

He smiled back, "Cain's just fine. Or...or maybe Wyatt sometime. When it's just us?"

Glitch's smile widened impossibly further, and he leaned in for a few more kisses, "Wyatt is good, too."

One last, deep kiss before, "You need to go. Remember, I'm counting to 200, and Azkadellia is gonna try to give me at least 300 after that to get away."

Glitch nodded, pulling away and hurrying to the door. He paused before opening it, looking back, "Things are going to be pretty nuts tonight while the queen goes insane, but...tomorrow?"

Cain smiled, "Your room, 9am. Tell them you have a headache."

Glitch grinned again, "9am." He started to open the door, but again paused, one hand on the handle, one on the frame, "I just--"

"Glitch, _go_!"

Glitch smiled, "Thank you, Wyatt."

Cain smiled back, "You're welcome, Sweetheart." He pointed accusingly at the door, "Now will you just--!"

The door closed silently behind him.

Cain couldn't stop the grin on his face, despite what he was about to do. He blew out several deep breaths and shook his head at himself as he counted.

At 100 he started stretching his arms and legs.

At 150 he drew his gun in his right hand.

At 175 he drew a second gun out of the back waistband of his pants.

185 - He had to make sure this didn't happen twice.

190 - He ran though his escape plan in his head, there wouldn't be time for second guesses once it started.

195 - He hoped the others were in place.

200.


End file.
